3 easy ways to license tablets in the business. A primer brought to you by Softchoice virtualization architects and Microsoft licensing specialists

Transcription

1 3 easy ways to license tablets in the business A primer brought to you by Softchoice virtualization architects and Microsoft licensing specialists

2 Like it or not, tablets and mobile devices are flooding the IT environment as workers want new technologies to unlock more flexibility to do their job anytime, anywhere. The tablet challenge Despite all the shapes, sizes, and operating systems, one thing is for sure: tablets carry a unique and frustrating set of licensing considerations. Many popular tablets run non-microsoft operating systems such as Apple ios and Google Android making licensing for common business applications a challenge. Still, it s important to note there are rules and regulations in place, which organizations need to follow to be compliant and avoid unnecessary risks. Softchoice created this guide to make these requirements more clear to IT leaders. Written by our internal subject matter experts from Microsoft, VMware and Citrix and our Virtualization Architects, we hope this guide helps you to ask the right questions as you navigate your options. 1/9

3 In this brief, we examine a common scenario many organizations face today, to illustrate the burdens of trying to license a non-microsoft OS tablet. Next, we ll show you how to solve this challenge using three common methods: About this brief Method 1: VMware infrastructure Method 2: Citrix Infrastructure Method 3: Microsoft only Infrastructure The information that follows is meant to be a starting point and not a definitive guide to reaching tablet nirvana. Every situation is different and requires collaboration with experts that are familiar with these solutions. 2/9

4 A common scenario: Bob the sales guy Bob is a sales account manager for a regional logistics company. He spends lots of time on the road, meeting with customers and potential customers. Part of Bob s responsibilities require that he input orders, manage his customer base, assemble proposals, and more. Bob currently uses his corporate notebook to assist with daily tasks but considering he is meeting with customers all day long these tasks typically creep into his own time, even with his notebook at his side. It s probably good to mention Bob coaches his son s little league two days a week, plays softball himself once a week and probably should carve out some time to connect with his spouse. Sound familiar? Bob and his company are always on the lookout for ways to be more productive during work hours. This past holiday season, Bob received a non-microsoft OS tablet, one of many different brands and flavors, from his family. It would be great for Bob to be able to leverage his new tablet at work, to be able to spend more time with his family. 3/9

5 What Bob is looking to accomplish with his new non-microsoft OS tablet Here s what Bob is looking to get out of his non-microsoft tablet: 1. Rich (easy) 2. Build and deliver presentations 3. Create and manipulate substantial financial spreadsheets 4. Leverage a custom build ERP system for on-the-spot order entry and updating 5. Make sure that all the corporate data is secure and not stored locally on the tablet So how do we get Bob the freedom he wants to do all these tasks on his tablet, while ensuring his software licensing is up to speed? Over the next few pages we ll take a look at three licensing methods we can use to solve Bob s predicament. 4/9

6 Method: VMware ThinApp The first method relies on VMwares View and ThinApp virtualization technologies, as illustrated by the graphic above. To do this right, you ll need a wide selection of Microsoft licenses, including Exchange CALs, roaming rights and key infrastructure, as well as comprehensive VMware licensing bundles to ensure a quality end-user experience. Here s the key checklist to help you build this solution: VMware Licensing Required View Premier Bundle (can be sold in a 10 or 100 pack bundle) Includes: 10 seats of VMware View; View Manager; View Composer; ThinAPP; Virtual Center Foundation for View; vsphere 4 Enterprise Plus for View Feature Set of View Premier Bundle View Client with Local Mode- Run Virtualized Desktop inside and outside of the network; Windows 7 support Increase speed and reduce cost and complexity of migration to Windows 7 Streamlined application Management Manage ThinApp in one view with View Manager Automated Desktop Provisioning View manager single management tool to provision new desktops or groups from a single console Microsoft Licensing Required Exchange CALs; Windows Server CALs Windows Virtual Desktop Access and/or Windows Operating System with Software Assurance Office Applications with Roaming Use Rights (commonly granted through maintaining Software Assurance) Windows applicable infrastructure licensing: Windows Server; SQL Server; Exchange Server 5/9

7 Method: Citrix XenApp Another way to deliver business apps to tablets is with Citrix XenApp. Similar to the VMware method, this requires a good mix of Microsoft licensing and additional virtualization key-stones to ensure you bring the performance you seek, and the security features you need all while staying audit risk free. Here s the key checklist of what you need to do it right: Citrix Licensing/Hardware Required XenDesktop Platinum Licenses Per user or concurrent user licensing Includes the following Citrix licenses: XenDesktop; XenAPP; XenServer Feature Set of XenDesktop Platinum Feature Set of View Premier Bundle Branch Repeater client (for WAN optimization when combined with a Repeater appliance in the datacenter) Access Gateway Universal License (for providing granular access control with either the Access Gateway or NetScaler) EdgeSight (end user performance monitoring) Password Manager (single sign on) SmartAuditor (allows recording of on-screen activity of any user s session) Netscaler Hardware Component: Application acceleration, load balancing and web security appliance Microsoft Licensing Required RDS CAL (Windows Remote Desktop Services CALs) Exchange CALs and Windows Server CALs Windows Virtual Desktop Access and/or Windows Operating System with Software Assurance Office Applications with Roaming Use Rights (commonly granted through maintaining Software Assurance) Windows applicable infrastructure licensing: Windows Server; SQ Server; Exchange Server 6/9

8 Method: Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) The third direction we re looking at relies solely on Microsoft technology, as you can see in the diagram above. This is all about leveraging Windows Remote Desktop Services CALs, while including a mix of the typical CALs and infrastructure included in the two previous examples. Below is the checklist for what you need to make this method work: Microsoft Licensing Required RDS CAL (Windows Remote Desktop Services CALs) Exchange CALs; Windows Server CALs Windows Virtual Desktop Access and/or Windows Operating System with Software Assurance Office Applications with Roaming Use Rights (commonly granted through Software Assurance) Windows applicable infrastructure licensing: Windows Server; SQL Server; Exchange Server Microsoft offers suites designed to ease the licensing, deployment and management of virtual desktops. For instance, with the help of the VDI premium suite, IT personnel are capable of deploying session -based desktops and applications, in addition to VM-based desktops. All this this can be done solely with Microsoft technologies such as RDS, Hyper-V and Microsoft s Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). More info on this, here. 7/9

9 This guide has explored just a few ways to leverage desktop virtualization to increase productivity. By no means will it answer all your desktop virtualization and tablet questions. And a number of very important, unanswered questions remain, such as: Final thoughts What if my organization owns the non-microsoft tablet? What if I m not currently in a license maintenance program, such as Software Assurance from Microsoft? What if I m in an Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft? In all situations, the best way to properly architect and implement a solution is to leverage advice from the experts on the frontlines. Softchoice is working with all of our technology partners to better serve the needs of organizations and offer ideas about what the proper licensing criteria should look like as it evolves. 8/9

10 Our team of Microsoft licensing and technology architects are standing by to help you overcome this new, and growing tablet licensing challenge. Get started CALL: FORM: Advice Request Form Connect with us today